Back in the bamboo forest, late at night, we lay on the thatched roof looking at the stars, each harboring our own thoughts and lying quietly. Suddenly, Ye Suo began to speak about his past: “Eight years ago, when Father King was critically ill, according to tradition, a new king had to be appointed. I had an older half-brother who was eighteen at the time and had a son. He should have been the best candidate for king, but Father King insisted on appointing me as king because I was the imperial celestial star, and he wanted me to take the throne… To prevent a succession crisis after his death, he ordered the execution of my brother’s entire family…
nd was terrified by Father King’s command. I knelt before him, begging him to rescind the order, and even offered to die in exchange…
I was stunned. What a terrifying father, capable of ordering the death of his own son and grandson. I felt even more heartbroken for Ye Suo, who had grown up in such a cruel environment. What kind of willpower did he need to endure until today? How much unimaginable weight did he carry on his shoulders?
“I knelt before Father King, telling him I had no intention of becoming king or competing for the throne. I said if he were to execute my brother, I would take my own life. Father King could do nothing with me and ordered my brother’s family to be spared. But when I rushed to my brother’s home, his wife and child had already been killed by his own hand. He pointed his sword at my neck and said one sentence before taking his own life.” When Ye Suo reached this part, his hand clenched into a fist. This was probably a memory he least wanted to recall, yet he hoped I would know about it. Seeing him painfully reopening these wounds, I was speechless.
“What did he say?” I could only continue asking.
“He told me to return him a world!”
I suddenly felt awakened and said in shock, “So you expanded Ye Mountain to the plains for your brother? I always thought…”
